Average grant size at major arts, culture & humanities foundations
The typical grant from the 20 largest arts, culture & humanities foundations is about $95K. Across all 2,917 arts, culture & humanities funders on file, the typical grant is about $5K. LILLY ENDOWMENT INC gives the most in this field.
Every figure comes from the foundations’ own IRS filings. The largest funders in a field usually give far more per grant than the field as a whole, because they make fewer, larger awards to organizations and projects big enough to absorb that much money at once. Check before you ask. Open any foundation to see who it has funded, where and for how much.
The 20 largest arts, culture & humanities funders
| Foundation | State | Typical grant | Grants a year | Total giving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LILLY ENDOWMENT INC | IN | $100K | 2,285 | $3864M |
| THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION | NJ | $40K | 3,093 | $623M |
| Robert W Woodruff Foundation Inc | GA | $2.0M | 26 | $190M |
| O'DONNELL FOUNDATION | TX | $1.0M | 33 | $187M |
| THE SUNDERLAND FOUNDATION | KS | $400K | 96 | $177M |
| CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK | NY | $225K | 591 | $174M |
| JOHN S AND JAMES L KNIGHT FOUNDATION | FL | $85K | 513 | $148M |
| THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION | PA | $36K | 1,107 | $144M |
| RICHARD KING MELLON FOUNDATION | PA | $220K | 296 | $117M |
| THE SAROFIM FOUNDATION | TX | $250K | 90 | $105M |
| HAROLD ALFOND FOUNDATION | ME | $250K | 45 | $103M |
| THE COLORADO HEALTH FOUNDATION | CO | $80K | 684 | $102M |
| ALFRED P SLOAN FOUNDATION | NY | $100K | 522 | $89M |
| THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS | PA | $70K | 550 | $85M |
| The Klarman Family Foundation | MA | $100K | 260 | $82M |
| JACK JOSEPH & MORTON MANDEL FOUNDATION | OH | $11K | 284 | $77M |
| Fred C and Katherine B Andersen Foundation | MN | $75K | 290 | $73M |
| THE AHMANSON FOUNDATION | CA | $50K | 442 | $65M |
| THE FRIST FOUNDATION | TN | $20K | 174 | $58M |
| SURDNA FOUNDATION INC | NY | $90K | 397 | $57M |
See every arts, culture & humanities funder that accepts applications, largest first, on foundations that fund arts, culture & humanities.
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Reviewers notice a request that is far above what a foundation usually gives. Every foundation page here shows its typical grant beside its giving history. Ask for an amount that funder is used to approving and the proposal starts from a number it recognizes. Quillify then drafts that proposal from your own documents.
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